Part 13: Fantasy/Science Fiction
Part 13: Fantasy/Science Fiction
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Under the umbrella of the genre of fiction fall many types of works that have been described as fantasy, science fiction, hard sci fi, and soft sci fi, among others. These works contain either impossible elements of science and nature, such as talking animals or telepathic people, or elements that are considered not yet realistic, as in advanced artificial intelligence or curing all forms of illness, which many would consider possibly futuristic. All science fiction falls within the subgenre of fantasy, and yet not all fantasy is science fiction. A fantasy realm such as in The Lord of the Rings keeps to its own imagined universe which contains magical elements among its natural laws, while a book like Cinder takes place in a fantastic realm that is set on a futuristic Earth, as well as the moon and in space, with technological elements like cyborgs and advanced robots, and telepathic communication and mind manipulation as part of an evolution of sorts.
The Library Media Specialist should be well-versed in these many popular types for readers’ advisory. Like all good literature, that which falls under the subgenre of fantasy should contain well-developed, universal themes that emerge as the story progresses. The characters must be relatable despite their fantastic circumstances, and the rules of the story should be consistent, not changing without explanation. If characters are not believable or aspects of the imagined universe change unexpectedly, the reader will be unable to suspend disbelief. For example, multiple reviewers have noted that in the novel Scythe, Shusterman has done a compelling job of getting the reader to relate to the complex young protagonists, who kill multiple other people, per the laws of their world. He lays out the rules of their dystopian existence, including the history leading to it, as well as the how and why of necessitated killing, and even the governing bodies. Although the setting is our own futuristic planet in which everyone lives eternal and murder is mandated, the writing and plot development makes it plausible to suspend disbelief and become concerned with the characters’ struggles and conflicts, and even the choices they make in choosing victims.
Within the circle of science fiction under the subgenre of fantasy, there are numerous types of works to appeal to as many readers: apocalyptic, post-apocalyptic, biopunk, steampunk, dystopian, ESP, robots, cyborgs and AI, space/extraterrestrials, time travel, and virtual realities/environments are a few categories into which novels may fall, or crossover. Many books fall into multiple categories, being possibly post-apocalyptic, with space settings, artificial intelligence, cyborg elements, war and human nature, romance, and containing cryogenics, to name a few. Although some laws of science are fictitious in these stories, some must be true, and characters must behave in ways with which the reader can empathize.
The Library Media Specialist should be well-versed in these many popular types for readers’ advisory. Like all good literature, that which falls under the subgenre of fantasy should contain well-developed, universal themes that emerge as the story progresses. The characters must be relatable despite their fantastic circumstances, and the rules of the story should be consistent, not changing without explanation. If characters are not believable or aspects of the imagined universe change unexpectedly, the reader will be unable to suspend disbelief. For example, multiple reviewers have noted that in the novel Scythe, Shusterman has done a compelling job of getting the reader to relate to the complex young protagonists, who kill multiple other people, per the laws of their world. He lays out the rules of their dystopian existence, including the history leading to it, as well as the how and why of necessitated killing, and even the governing bodies. Although the setting is our own futuristic planet in which everyone lives eternal and murder is mandated, the writing and plot development makes it plausible to suspend disbelief and become concerned with the characters’ struggles and conflicts, and even the choices they make in choosing victims.
Within the circle of science fiction under the subgenre of fantasy, there are numerous types of works to appeal to as many readers: apocalyptic, post-apocalyptic, biopunk, steampunk, dystopian, ESP, robots, cyborgs and AI, space/extraterrestrials, time travel, and virtual realities/environments are a few categories into which novels may fall, or crossover. Many books fall into multiple categories, being possibly post-apocalyptic, with space settings, artificial intelligence, cyborg elements, war and human nature, romance, and containing cryogenics, to name a few. Although some laws of science are fictitious in these stories, some must be true, and characters must behave in ways with which the reader can empathize.
I personally have felt most drawn to science fiction within the subgenre of fantasy, as opposed to pure fantasy itself; within that category, I have most often honed in on futuristic settings such as dystopian, apocalyptic, and post-apocalyptic, such as The Arc of a Scythe series or The Lunar Chronicles, those with fewer technological elements like the Matched trilogy and the Selection series, and contemporary classics like Brave New World and Fahrenheit 451. Having said that, I have always sought time travel stories as well, such as The Ruby Red trilogy, and enjoy comparing different authors’ varying applications of rules and laws in that regard. I also find it interesting in reading the opinions of many regarding what constitutes “classics” in this subgenre, there are many combined adult and YA works, and adult works that contain teenage and even younger protagonists, but were not necessarily considered YA at the time of publication. I feel that my greatest readers’ advisory challenge here is simply not confining my own pleasure reading solely to the subgenre of fantasy, which is very easy to do with the vast array of good options available.
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